Monthly Archives: January 2016

A teen in Alberta, Canada is recovering from second degree burns that came as a result of an electronic cigarette device exploding as he used it. Currently, media reports are painting it as a situation of a rogue device randomly turning explosive, however they are failing to take into account that the product he was using was much more complex than a basic electronic cigarette. The explosion was most likely the result of improper usage, and perhaps using the wrong variety of battery to power the device. It is possible he did not understand the complexities of working with a mech mod, however, let it be known that despite what the media reports, this situation probably could have been avoided.

There are several things wrong with this story. Here’s a breakdown:

The device this child was using was a mechanical mod. Not a beginner’s device. Not an intermediate device. Rather a device for legit experts, who know exactly what they are doing when it comes to handling serious lithium batteries and building electrical panels yourself.

His parents allowed him to use this thing; at such a tender, experimental age under 18, his parents should have had a better handle of what he was up to and they should have been paying more attention. Now they’re opting to blame the vapor device; real smart to avert the attention away, guys.

Someone actually sold a child this product due to there being no age regulation in this area of Canada? This is stupidity on all levels.

When using mech mods, you have to do a substantial amount of research to understand how they need to be built. Beyond building, people need to be aware that mech mods are inherently DIY devices and there is a definite level of risk in using them. Most companies selling them will make this very, very clear in an effort to educate e-cigarette consumers.

So, the real story should be on awareness, not a vague headline designed to scare and distort the reality of e-cigarettes and other vapor products. Safety first, it should be the primary goal of everyone who opts to use a vapor device. If you are going to venture into advanced territory, and attempt to work with devices such as mech mods, please, by all means, know what you’re doing.

If you are a vape shop owner, or are the owner of a website selling e-liquids, one aspect of great importance to consider is carrying only the highest quality products. Here is a look at the top reasons we feel this is greatly imperative to all businesses in the vape industry, both on an individual level, as well as for the overall industry.

Legitimacy for the Industry

First and foremost, with all of the public’s attention these days focused on “what’s in those e-cigarettes,” carrying brands that do a great deal of independent research and testing is really important for credibility. When an industry is constantly being attacked by “scientists” who produce erroneous, biased, and misinformed studies based on bad data findings, it is really important to be able to refute these claims head-on. A perfect way of doing this is by carrying brands such as VaporFi and Motley Brew whose e-liquid formulas hold some of the highest standards in the US, in addition to being made exclusively in the USA, containing no diacetyl or acetyl propionyl, are manufactured in labs registered with the FDA for total disclosure, are made with the purest ingredients, going even beyond “food grade” standards as they are made for inhalation, and have been labeled as having cGMP standards of operation. (IVG brands do not take the easy way out!)

Gaining Trust

Considering that the vast majority of vapers are very hands-on, research-ready, and know their products inside and out, getting crap quality past them will not work. You’re more likely to insult their intelligence. However, as a retailer, one way of gaining trust is to offer top quality products, focusing on the purity of ingredients, safe manufacturing standards, and the fact that you do “know what’s in them.”

Across the pond, in the UK, a First World nation full of educated, intelligent thinking people, with a democratic government, excellent physicians with a fully-functional healthcare system, and a high level of independent research done through their scientific endeavors as well as through their many highly-esteemed universities, they have been able to see through the spin, and understand the enormous potential of electronic cigarettes in regards to the betterment of their public. With 3 million people as smokers, they see the promise an alternative such as vapor devices presents. Instead of fighting over trivial suspicions, they are focusing on facts, and focusing on how many lives can be saved by offering vapor devices as legit cessation options.

In the US, however, we find a new reason to vilify e-cigarettes every week, and often base these suspicions on the conclusions of sporadic studies, often done with biased data, or select data from perfectly positioned groups that will enable the outcomes to sway in their predetermined directions.

According to vapor products advocate, David Sweanor (adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottowa as well as a special lecturer for the division of epidemiology and public health at the University of Nottingham): “There’s a very strong abstinence-only part of what’s going on in the anti-smoking movement. I think it’s one of the most counter-productive things that we’ve ever seen.” Having spent a huge amount of his career over the past 30 years dedicated to fighting the war on tobacco, Sweanor is more than capable of offering some insight to a muddled situation that could really use some common sense.

This week, reports of a study done the journal the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, claimed that according to their data, e-cigarettes do not help smokers quit smoking. Despite having been published by a legitimate medical journal, the study was loaded with inaccuracies, and has been labeled both “grossly misleading,” by Peter Hajek, currently the Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit of Queen Mary University of London, and “not scientific” by Deputy Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies, Ann McNeill, who also serves as a professor at King’s College London.

It’s rather interesting, though heavily confounding on why electronic cigarettes are being so vilified in the media. Sure, we could go all “conspiracy theory” on you as to why this could be part of some big, deep, underlying scheme, but that’s really not necessary. There’s enough going on at the surface to ponder, and it really is perplexing every way it’s examined. We’re certain, despite the current state of affairs, that the future holds much promise, but in the meantime, it’s a crazy path the industry is navigating!

The United Kingdom’s regulator for medicinal items, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has officially classified electronic cigarettes as medical devices. This is the step taken in an effort to what may become the official marketing of electronic cigarette devices as cessation devices. This is very big news for the vapor products industry, and while it is not fully relevant to the US market, it is a major step for the industry as a whole, and it sets an incredible example the US needs to take note of.

Prior to this landmark decision on the part of MHRA, vapor products were not permitted to be recommended by general practitioners as they were not considered licensed products. Because of this monumental decision, vapor products will now be able to truly compete with established cessation methods in the UK, such as nicotine gums and nicotine patches, and physicians as well as other healthcare providers will be able to recommend them for usage.

This is an excellent example being demonstrated as a model for nations such as the US, whose own policies and politics regarding e-cigarettes are not yet established. Across the pond, we are currently awaiting the FDA to make a final decision on the ability of today’s e-cigarettes to even continue being sold.

The health agencies in the UK have been staunch and stubborn in regards to their opinions of e-cigarettes, and they have seen the potential they hold for quite some time now. Last year, Public Health England’s report on e-cigarette use, and their independent findings that vapor cigarettes are 95% healthier than traditional tobacco cigarettes made worldwide headlines, having come from a legitimate source making such a bold claim. The UK has been blatantly vocal about the promise these products hold for people looking to quit smoking, and with 20% of the British adult population as smokers, they are truly committed to their betterment and health.

We applaud the UK on their decision, which we know was based on a great amount of research, studies, and common sense. We are excited to see where the market is headed, and look forward to what these revolutionary products are going to do for the public health sector in the near future.

YOU MUST BE OVER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS TO BUY AND OR USE ANY INTERNATIONAL VAPOR GROUP ("IVG") PRODUCT.

Nicotine is a highly addictive substance derived from the tobacco plant. Our products do not treat, diagnose, or cure any disease, physical ailment, or condition. If you are allergic to nicotine or any combination of inhalants, if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, or if you have a heart-condition, diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma, consult your physician before using IVG nicotine products. Just like traditional tobacco cigarettes, IVG Electronic Cigarettes are not approved by the American FDA.

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*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.